Super
by riptide1500
Summary: In a world with concealed superheroes living among the people, there is a war brewing. Will Solace, however, is about as concerned with the war as he is abut passing AP Lit. His Senior year is sure to be interesting as a healing super with a new, mysterious roommate Nico Di Angelo, a group of insane friends, and a school where all the famous supers go, Brunner's Academy.
1. Chapter 1

Will stared down at the list of names and faces that graced the front page of Time Magazine in the lobby of his school.

He looked with interest at first, since he liked the magazine, but rolled his eyes at the subject matter. Not politics, not anything about those who were suffering, no new inventions, ideas or people, but the same old article. It was once again an issue describing the "most powerful figures in crime and justice", as they called it, which basically meant that it was showing which supers were ranked top.

He frowned as he looked at the glossy front cover. It was always concerning to have a villain first, another tied for third, and another sixth.

Will understood the obsession with the 0.007% of the population with superpowers, but it was always the same. Surely the magazine could come up with _something_ more creative. The list was as follows: Kronos (Really bad!), Zeus (Good, but mean), Poseidon (good) and Hades (terrifying and pretty bad) tied. Then there was Riptide (Great), Spark (Good), Ghost (Bad? No one was sure, and he has never been seen by the public), Ares (Turned bad recently).

And Will, being in that tiny percentage, but with superpowers that weren't nearly as cool as those who were on the cover, had interacted with some of them casually. He was, like his father before him, a Healing Super, but he was supposedly even better than his old man. And because his father recently stopped practicing due to the upcoming war, Will was left as the strongest healing super.

His name was informally Sol, which he did _not_ choose, but because of his appearance, personality, and the fact that his healing caused for warm yellow rays of light to burst out of his hands, it fit.

Sol was barely mentioned to the public, but in the super world, everyone knew him. Some people thought he was controversial, because he knew all of the supers' actual names, and worked with both the good and bad side and wouldn't help either of them fight each other, but Will just did what he thought was right.

It started when he was 11, when his powers formed.

When he first got them, it was bad, because while all of his siblings were allowed to go out into the world with their amazing but discreet powers, he had to be like Elsa from Frozen, either at home or completely covered until he could control his shiny healing magic. His father really tried to help him, but there was just no way he could, since his powers were completely different (he had to sing). Will grew up in close to solitude.

When he was finally able to master when he glowed and healed people randomly, he was released from the huge Anthony Paul Olympian ( .o. Apollo. That's where the name came from) mansion. He had a bright and almost flirty personality, and no idea what people were like.

So when Apollo heard that Will was willing to accept any super who was hurt, no matter hero or villain, he was shocked, but understood.

Will just wanted to be good, but in the way he knew. Good meant helping anybody that needed help. Loyalty to the Good side or Evil side meant nothing.

At the age of 15, he was put into a boarding school in the city, where he met some of the most amazing kids the world would ever know. Brunner's Academy.

Apollo's reasons for putting Will in the city where all of the young supers went to school was pretty shallow: he wanted his son to be famous. But, since Will was able to use his powers while remaining in an environment where lots of people were hiding things and he didn't stick out too much, he agreed.

Will looked around the large stereotypical school lobby.

Still, even after 2 years of being in the school, it was daunting to be so free. Like, he could just go up to that woman with a huge cast and heal her, but then his secret would be blown. But he could do it. He was able to. And no one could stop him.

But he wouldn't. Because that would put so many people in danger, and would make his face hit the headlines, which he hoped to avoid at all costs.

Also, it would cause for more drama for him.

Now, working for both sides, people had tried to kidnap him on many occasions. But it always ended up the same.

Will would blink at the knife/sword/gun/baseball bat that was threatening him, then back up at the person wielding it. It could be a man in a suit, a woman in rags, a man with holsters and magazines on his chest, it didn't matter.

"You do realize that if you make me say the other side's names I'll say yours, right?" He would say, like usual.

They would always smile like that was expected. "We'll kill you before you get there, obviously."

"And then who will heal you? Or your two year old son who is showing signs of pneumonia, which you have been trying to figure out for about a week? Also, you wouldn't know if those names were right. " He would say nonchalantly, and they would frown, leave the room, come back, inject him with another knock out drug, and he would find himself in an ally without any cash, but alive and unhurt.

So that's how it went. He had the names, and the powers, that made him valuable, but he couldn't be harnessed by one side.

There was also the fact that he chose to use his powers for good. He could be pretty scary, he had found. His powers were in growing cells and knowing the effects it would have, but he could just choose what to heal. He could heal a cancer tumor so it was larger. He could heal a bone so it grew completely wrong, maybe going through something important, like a brain or a heart. He hadn't experimented at all, because that was wrong, but there had been accidents where he over healed, or healed before a bone was set, and that was terrifying for him. He could _kill people_. With his _mind._

Back to his actual life. He was starting his Senior year at Brunner Academy, and he was still a bit nervous. Will's life was honestly not like those superhero movies where they don't do anything but fight crime, and they use their powers every second of every day.

That was so not true. Will only used his powers when he was working his real job, or when he got papercuts. He had all AP classes, a job at the local Starbucks, and patched up superheroes in his spare time with his superhuman abilities. That was it.

This year he was about as worried about the battle between Kronos and Riptide (and Riptide's partner/crush Daedelus and Kronos's messenger Scar and so so many more) as he was about the impossible summer reading quiz Mr. Grady was famous for giving.

There were lots of thoughts swimming through his head.

He found out through connections that he was rooming with a punk kid, who no one (in his friend group) knew. He only collected bits and pieces of information. His name was Nico, and his outfits consisted only of black. Will could appreciate the color, but would rather something happier. Also someone less scary. Will couldn't tell if he was a super or not. He had certainly never met Sol.

Will was glad he had his friends, though. He had a little squad who were all really cool.

Since he was on both sides and knew names, it was interesting to see who was friends. For instance in his group, Lou Ellen was Trixie, a super who worked with villains so they had costumes. Cecil was a non-super. Katie Gardener helped her mother, who was Demeter, a major super. Leo Valdez was Auto, and he worked with the good hot shots like Spark, but was crushing on Kronos's niece.

It was all very confusing, and what was most annoying was that nobody but Will and Kronos knew everything. Also, though he knew his patients, his patients didn't know him, so he would have to act like a complete stranger when Leo Valdez came in without part of his finger, or when Riptide, aka the popular and overall great guy Percy Jackson went to him with a bullet in his side, Will couldn't say their names or act like the names meant anything. It was always a little game he had to guess who was who.

But Will was convinced that this year was going to be great.

He smiled brightly at the woman, who was the mother of one of the Hunt, as he received his schedule, room number, and roommate name. Nico Di Angelo. Room 224. Blue Wing. Second floor.

Will looked in the mirror in the hall. Same old Will. Straw blonde hair that was getting sort of long, dark eyebrows, light blue eyes, a really good jawline, a long-ish nose and a bit of acne. His lips were too big, and were annoyingly red. His eyelashes were too long for a boy. His skin was losing it's tan. But it was too late to fix anything now. He continued on, feeling a bit silly.

Will might have lots of good things about his powers, but he really wouldn't have minded a bit of strength, like Riptide had, along with the healing thing. Will's bag was huge, and it kept tipping over, forcing him to look like an idiot trying to push it right side up in the crowded hallways.

He was greeted by lots of people who watched him struggle sympathetically. Percy Jackson saw him, and smiled largely.

As a gay guy, or as a human with eyes, Will thought Percy was hot.

It was a maxim: Riptide was a heartthrob and Daedalus was a lucky girl who totally deserved him because Annabeth was equally as hot and had a great personality. But it was one of those things where it was so awkward being next to him in public, because it wasn't like looking at someone from a magazine or ad or something, he was in front of you and was _actually that beautiful_. He was popular also because of his personality, though. It wasn't just because he was gorgeous.

He was sarcastic, witty, kind, thoughtful, loyal and really funny, and he was an overall perfect person. He had flaws, but no one really minded that he was a momma's boy, or that he was pretty moody with a terrible temper once you said the wrong thing. And no one mentioned the scars, PTSD, or his inability to listen to anything relating to abuse, rape or domestic violence. People knew, but said nothing.

"Hey, Will! Just got in?" He asked, and Will nodded with a smirk.

"Yeah. Thank god. Kansas is exactly like its stereotypes: fields and annoying people with accents. But that includes me, sadly. You live around here, right?" He asked, and Percy smiled, while bending down and lifting the heavy suitcase with one hand.

"Yeah, I was with my mom. She's great." He said, running his hand through his hair. "I should be going, Grover will kill me if I make him unpack again for the third year in a row, but before I go, you're rooming with Di Angelo, right?" He asked, and Will nodded.

"Yeah, you know him? I haven't found out anything other than the fact he likes black."

Percy gave a small smile. "Yeah, you could say I know him. But um, I have to ask you something. Please don't tell him I asked you this, but I just...He's not really peppy or social or anything, but if you could have him hang out with your friend group, that would be really cool. He needs some good friends." He said, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Um, alright. I'll try." Will said awkwardly, "Bye, Percy. Say hey to Annabeth for me. Oh! Also ask if she has Grady. I need someone smart to steal notes from." He said, and Percy smiled.

"Will do. Good luck." Percy said, walking away.

Will was left to wonder about a lot of things. First and foremost, he was praying that Annabeth, (Daedalus, the super smart super spy), did have those notes. Next there was the Nico Di Angelo inclusion thing. Why was Percy asking him? Will was popular, but not like he, Annabeth, Grover, Michael, Thalia and Reyna were. Will's core group of 5 friends were really different and unique and weird, and people just happened to like group wasn't too exclusive, but they could definitely get more open. It was the inside jokes, the invites to group sleepovers where they watched movies and gossiped that really excluded people. Will wanted to include Nico, though. Not only for Percy or because it would be fun to have a room where there was no roommate to complain about tons of people staying until it was morning, but because it was the right thing to do in Will's mind. Everyone needed friends.

Will got to the door that said 224. The little silver slots had the names Will Solace and Nico Di Angelo in them. He had a tiny flash of fear before opening the door.

For one thing, it had a great view of the city, even though it was just the second floor. There was a little park with a lit fountain, then there was a large intersection lined with shops.

Then Will looked around.

Nico was already there, but Will could barely tell.

There were about 10 books in the bookshelf. There was a Mac and a black wireless mouse on the right side's desk. There were black linens on the right side's bed. There was a small lamp, white and generic shaped on the bedside table. Will tried to find something else, but that was it.

He looked down to his huge suitcase, which held obnoxious amounts of stuff compared to the plain appearance of the right hand side of the room.

"Might as well get started." He muttered to himself, feeling a bit weird, and he unzipped the bag from which an actual explosion of stuff happened.

He started with putting his clothes in the generic dresser, which took way too long, because he had to choose where everything would go. He hung things up in the closet, which was empty except for three black suits on Nico's side.

He then went on to decorate. He had a blue and white and grey plaid bedspread, a huge picture collage of Polaroids and photos that showed his family, his friends, his favorite places, and everything that made him happy. He put his sticker covered guitar on its stand in the corner, next to the huge speaker system Leo had made for him. He strategically placed different lights (four of them), decided where to put his huge red bean bag chair, put his school supplies in his desk, hung rainbow fairy lights on his walls, and he was done. He paused, before deciding to put a couple stickers on the back of the rolling chair they provided. Now he was done.

When he had his back to the door to see how it looked, he was hit by the amount of color his side had. He didn't see one thing that was plain. And on Nico's, it was the opposite. Nico's side also had very little lighting, but Will's was so bright it took a moment to adjust when looking from one side to the other. But Will was content, so he plugged in his phone to the speakers, and reveled in his favorite playlist of illegally downloaded songs.

He texted the group chat that he was done and which room number he was in so they could come see him before throwing his phone onto the bed and listening to music, waiting for one of his friends to come into his room.

After about 15 minutes, Cecil texted he was coming, and Lou said the same.

There was a quiet knock, and the door swung open. Will didn't even think about what he was doing as he embraced the person that walked through the door.

That proved to be a major issue, Will realized, when that person shifted their weight and pulled on his arm, and suddenly he was flying through the air and landing hard on his back with someone on top of him.

"Jesus Christ Lou, what the fuck did I even do?" He asked, before opening his eyes to see a boy in all black staring at him in shock, sitting on his stomach. "Oh my god, you aren't Lou. I'm so sorry." He said, his cheeks burning. The boy, who he assumed was Nico, nodded, clearly shaken, before getting off of his stomach.

"Goddamn. I feel like I got like a .3 concussion. Yikes." He said getting up.

The boy in all black watched him silently, with a slight pink tinge on his cheeks being the only response. His eyes were pure black, huge, and unnerving.

"Okay, sorry, that was totally my fault. I'm Will Solace. You're Nico, right?"He asked, cracking his neck.

Nico nodded. He stayed silent otherwise.

Will took the silence as an answer. "Great. So I guess we've already set up and stuff. Do you mind if my friends are coming over? I live in the middle of nowhere, so I haven't been able to see them recently. You'll like them, they're pretty cool." Will paused. "Actually they're total nerds but I love them so it's okay."

Nico nodded, and turned towards his side.

Will took that as a minute to collect his thoughts.

First thoughts? Lots of swearing. Mostly for making such a stupid move and not seeing who he was hugging, but also because his head hurt _so badly_.

Second thoughts? Nico was attractive. Like, extremely, almost Percy Jackson attractive.

He had wide, large eyes that were really dark with thick eyelashes, really well shaped eyebrows, extremely sharp and pronounced bone structure, and sallow cheeks. The bags under his eyes were very dark. He looked like a male model that decided that sleep was for the weak.

But he was definitely something to see.

Will's thoughts were interrupted by Lou Ellen throwing the door open, singing along with the words of Victorious, which was playing at an obnoxious volume.

"Double Bubble Disco Queen, headed to the guillotine." She sang along before Will paused the blaring music.

Lou Ellen's dark maroon lipstick curved into a brilliant smile. "How accurate. Hey babes. How was life on the prarie?"

Will beamed. He jumped off of his bed, throwing his arms around his best friend.

They hugged each other tightly for about a minute.

"Lou! It's been forever!" He said, pulling back from the hug.

"Okay, first and foremost. You've become Cruella Devil without telling me." He said accusingly.

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. Her hair was thick and black, in a long bob, but now she had a pure white streak on her right side.

Lou Ellen hadn't changed much other than that. Same dark makeup, overly sweet perfume, same sense of style, and same personality.

Will was happy to see her. They were extremely close. Like, reading minds with certain expressions close. So it stunk to not see her for three months every year.

"Excuse you. I totally told you, but you were being all 'My grandparents smell like cheese why am I forced to socialize with them'" She said, and Will made a face, but didn't deny it. They really did smell like cheese. It was overwhelming.

"It looks good! A bit more rebellious than usual. So tell me. Life." He insisted, and Lou smiled for a second.

She took a running leap into his beanbag chair. "Oof. I love this thing. Get me one?" She asked with her face in the chair, and he nodded.

"Depends. Will you bring me to one of your super cool concerts and not insult me for a week?"

Lou Ellen brought her face out of the oversized pillow. "Um, no?"

"Then no."

Lou stuck her tongue out.

"Holy shit!" She shouted suddenly, looking at Nico. "Oh my god, I did _not_ see you there. Wow. It's dark. Sorry." She got up from the huge red bean bag, and walked over to where the boy was curled up on his bed, blending in with the black covers.

"Hi, I'm Lou Ellen. Are you Nico?" She asked, and he looked like a mix between terrified and emotionless.

"Yes. Nice to meet you." He said, and Will's eyes widened. Accent. Really strong Italian accent.

Will suppressed a smile, and he could tell Lou was trying not to smile as well. "Alrighty then. I think you're going to be seeing a lot of me over the course of the year, unless you decide this dork is too overwhelmingly dorky and switch rooms." She said, and Nico nodded like this was something he'd ponder.

"Okay. Where was I. Oh yeah." She said, before once again running and flopping onto the beanbag.

"Okay. First, drama. I haven't been able to talk with you without being monitored by the 'rents, so we are talking drama, secrets, boys and more." Will beamed.

"Wait, I have snacks. Popcorn?" He asked, and Lou nodded.

"Obviously."

Will looked at Nico. The boy blushed slightly.

"Me?" He seemed surprised he was being talked to.

"Popcorn?"

"Oh. Okay, I guess. If you don't mind."

Will smiled, and watched in amusement as Nico blushed. Will would have to think about what that meant later.

Lou Ellen checked her phone. "Hey Will, Cecil's new roommate just asked him to help out with a shit ton of decorations, so he's going to be late. He's in the purple wing! That totally sucks for him." She said, before cackling.

"Nico, you wanna join us?" Lou asked, beckoning the boy over to the large chair, and Nico bit his lip.

"I, um. I actually have to go. Bye. Thanks." He said, before getting up and leaving.

Lou raised her eyebrows at Will. He shrugged.

As the door slammed closed and they heard him walk away, Lou shot up from the beanbag chair and took Will's hands.

"He's adorable. He's honestly so cute. Oh my god." She said, and squealed.

"Ugh, just talk about your really fun summer with hot guys already." Will said, smiling slightly.

"Okay. Can I just start by saying that Katie totally started that bitch fight we had? I don't even like Travis…"


	2. Chapter 2

Nico Di Angelo walked quickly away from the dorm room, down the hall and down the stairs. The library would be open, and practically empty. He would go there.

He cursed the fact he could hear his heartbeat.

He was a super, for god's sake! One of the best supers, said the Time Magazine cover his father stole and hung on their dining room wall. So why was he so nervous about being with these two normal teenagers?

This was his first year having a roommate, not having a suite, and not having special treatment.

His father had, to put it blankly, cut him off.

As Ghost, he had specific jobs he had to do for his father, like killing people who deserved it, stealing, getting rid of certain cartels, gangs, politicians and stuff like that. But Nico was apparently unable to work with others, so his father opted for the easiest way he could think of integrating Nico into society: forcing him to go to school like everyone else.

And Nico was extremely against that.

First, rooming with another boy? What if he found out he was a super? If he found out that Nico was Ghost, Nico's life would be over. He could _not_ survive in jail. With all of the people he had killed, framed, or proven guilty? He would be dead. Or, even worse, what if the roommate found out he was gay? He couldn't even think about what would happen.

But he was forced to go. His credit card was taken from him, his chauffeur would be staying back at the family manor, and he wouldn't be able to have his suit at home. No more spending the night stopping small robberies when he couldn't sleep, which was a small hobby of his. He would have a roommate who would find out.

He felt weird.

It was very odd being like the other students. He couldn't use his powers whenever he wanted. He would have to walk places, stand on his tiptoes to reach things instead of pulling them down with shadows, and it would just be weird.

And there was Will Solace.

Nico didn't know until the day before, but that choice was not random.

He was chosen by Hades after analyzing all of the people in the grade, including appearance, social standing, personality, and whether or not they were a super.

Hades decided to pick the opposite of Nico. Extremely happy, bright, funny, non-super, smiley Will Solace, who had a group of friends that were really tight and happy together. He was part of a bunch of clubs, one of which was GSA, which he was a leader in.

It was like someone had just copied and pasted a stereotype into real life.

Nico was given just Will's name, though, and Hades kept the rest to himself.

So when Nico was expecting to open the door to find an almost empty room, he found himself in a really warm, tight hug.

That _so_ did not work for Nico Di Angelo. Instincts took over before he realized what he was doing, and he immediately flipped the person off of him, using a mix of martial arts moves, and landed straddling an extremely attractive boy.

The boy's eyes were closed, and Nico stared at him. He was really cute. Like annoyingly. Nico stopped himself from thinking that, because he needed to judge this boy's threat level.

The boy groaned, keeping his eyes closed.

"Jesus Christ Lou, what the fuck did I even do?" He said, with a bit of a country accent.

Nico was hit by a wave of embarrassment. He was expecting his friend. He wasn't trying to hurt him. Nico felt like face palming.

The boy opened his eyes. They were crystal blue, and completely pure in color.

Those eyes widened, and a dark blush brushed across the boy's tan face. "Oh my god, you aren't Lou. I'm so sorry." He said, and Nico nodded awkwardly, getting off of Will's stomach.

Will sat up, rubbing his head.

"Goddamn. I feel like I got like a .3 concussion. Yikes." Nico blushed. That move was supposed to shock and slow the opponent. But Nico watched in almost awe as the boy in front of him got up. His hair was so _yellow_. Nico just didn't understand how it was so yellow. He was tall, much taller than Nico.

Nico took a moment to analyze the left side of the room.

Red beanbag chair. Blue and grey bed. Photos. Bright. Extremely bright.

But he was brought back to Will as the boy introduced himself.

"... you're Nico, right?" He nodded.

Will said something about friends, and Nico felt a bit of dread wash over him. Not knowing what to say, he sat on his bed and put on his headphones as Will went to check his phone. He tried to think of something to say.

Of course Will had friends. The only problem was that Nico didn't. Ever.

So the idea of having more than one person in the place he lived was unnerving. It gave him a bit of anxiety.

Will went over to the large speakers set up in the corner.

Nico examined them out of the corner of his eyes. They seemed really high tech for a kid like Will. But Nico's mind immediately went to when Will was away, so he could borrow them. That would be really fun.

Will's taste in music was good. Not his style, but good. While Will texted someone, Nico contemplated what was happening.

He was going to be okay. He wasn't in mortal peril.

Actually, when he really thought about it, he preferred being in mortal peril to being in this situation, because there was no training for how to be a teenager. How to be a super who could take on 11 armed guards at a time (that was his most recent assignment)? That there were tricks to. But how to flirt? Um, no.

Nico at least had Percy Jackson. When Nico was younger and Hades was in Italy, Percy Jackson's mother took he and Bianca into their house because they didn't want supers in the shelter. Nico ended up leaving from the Jackson's in the night when he was 11, because once Bianca was gone, that house wasn't happy.

But he still had an ally in Percy. He had gone back twice after leaving. Once because Sally got really sick, and Nico wanted to make sure she was alright. He would be willing to pay for anything, even to have her treated by Sol, if she needed it. Sally Jackson was one of very few people and things Nico loved. The time that he came, she thought it was a dream, since it was about four in the morning. She started to cry, and called Nico her second son, the baby whose childhood was stolen. That still haunted Nico, because it was his best memory from the past 5 years.

The last time he was at the Jackson's was when Percy recognised him in a cafe, and forced him to come to their apartment for cookies and catching up. Nico didn't get to see Sally, since she was working.

Then there was Spark. Jason Grace. He went to college near the school, so Nico had another place to go if he needed it.

They were supposed to be enemies, but when that freaky bow and arrow guy who could read emotions and turn invisible showed up, they had to face their biggest fears together. Actually, just Nico. Nico saved 56 lives from a bomb by coming out as gay to a villain, a hero and himself. Nico's memory was fresh in his mind.

Spark had watched as Nico sat down in horror on the roof of the hotel as the police cleared the bomb-riddled building. He hadn't cried since Bianca, but that was the closest he'd been.

The Spark was unsettled by the man next to him. He pitied the fact that he'd had to admit his crush on his childhood best friend, who was also male, but he didn't know what to do. He knew the man next to him was holding back tears behind that terrifying mask. He also knew the man next to him had a crime record that could get him about 16 lifetime sentences if he was caught. He was an assassin, the best in the business. Spark knew that even his father, Zeus, had used him at some point to get information.

"Are you, um. Are you okay." The Spark said, and Nico looked up at him.

"Aren't you supposed to arrest me? Or try to, at least?" Nico said, not looking up.

The Spark stiffened. "You just saved all those people, and did the bravest thing I've ever seen in my life. I'm not going to arrest you." He said, surprising himself. He hadn't known before, but now he was certain. He sat down next to Nico.

"Good, because it has been a fucking awful day. Do you even know how bad this fucking day has been? Ugh." He said, exhaustion clear in his voice.

The Spark looked at him. Something was off about his voice. It was almost cracking? "Wait. How old are you?" He asked suddenly.

Nico was silent for a minute.

"It depends who is asking. Are you a little bitch who would rat me out for drinking? Or murder?" He said, and a small grin was visible behind the mask.

Spark's jaw dropped. Under 21. Though, he would be willing to bet he was actually under 18. He looked deep in thought for a minute. He finally looked at Nico, glanced around the barren rooftop, and hit a tiny button behind his ear. The silver-gold mask he wore folded in on itself in a strange way that Nico didn't understand.

"A secret for a secret. I'm Jason. Jason-" Nico stopped him.

"Grace." He breathed, shocked. Jason's eyes widened. Nico stood. "Well. Tonight's been fun. I just came out to my tutor. I'm just going to die in a hole. Cool. Bye." Nico said, slipping off of the edge of the building, and disappearing halfway into the fall, into the darkness.

It took Jason a good minute after he left to comprehend that the Ghost was 1. Younger than him. 2. Nico Di Angelo. 3. Pretty cool?

But Nico had at least two friends. Actually, three, counting the Piper, the thief who could convince people to do things, like the Pied Piper. She hated that comparison, since that's how the newscasters chose her name, but Nico thought it was funny. They hung out at some of the meetings for YTAC (Youth with Talents in Areas of Crime), went out and got fast food together after missions, and they basically just talked.

They kept identities secret, but they would gossip about other supers. For instance: she thought Spark, who was assigned to catching her, was hot, and sometimes to get away she would flirt with him. Nico thought that was hysterical, knowing fully well that Jason stood a better chance against her when she was with her mask than without. He was a bumbling fool when it came to talking to girls. They could go to a restaraunt and talk for hours.

Nico was a lot more forward in his uniform/suit thing. It was just an armored, bulletproof black leather jacket, jeans, and a charcoal grey and black skeleton mask, but it made him feel badass. He also quieted his voice and dulled his accent, so it was hard to tell that it was him.

But that was it. Just three friends his age. And now he was living with someone he didn't know, and they were bringing friends over. It was overwhelming.

When this girl Lou came in shouting the lyrics, Nico tried to bury himself in the shadows as much as he could without really using his powers.

She was the opposite of what Nico was expecting.

Short black hair with a white streak, pale skin, dark makeup, with a short dress and long black boots. She was pretty, but Nico didn't really swing for that team in general.

They started to talk, and Nico tuned them out. He was doing a mix of meditating, thinking, listening to music and sleeping.

As the night went on, Nico was startled. Lou had noticed him, introduced herself and when he did the same, the two teenagers both shared looks that were verging on smiles, which pissed him off. Why were they smiling?

They included him, which was unusual. Nico liked popcorn, but before it was done and before he could listen to the gossip the girl was about to spill, he decided that he'd had enough of the social activity he was doing. He wanted to be alone.

So he continued down the echoing stairs.

His heartbeat was too elevated for the library. He needed physical activity, but the gym where he could train his powers was with his father, who had taken the key.

It was dusk, since check in was about an hour ago, so Nico could easily get a head start on that mission which was due in October. It was just to use his powers to capture a man who was responsible for an impossible code, for someone named Minos. He didn't like doing this kind of job, but Minos had proven that he actually did deserve a bit of revenge by ruining Delta's career. It still freaked Nico out that he was a kidnapper. he thought that was scarier than him being a murderer.

But he decided against it. He didn't like thinking about that job. It was one of his most important.

He decided to just look for thugs and deal with them.

He used his super hearing. He scouted conversations in the highest crime-rate areas of the city.

Gossiping about Emma, discussing the weather, flirting, and then he found it. "Hands in the air!"

The super power was distant, like someone was talking to him from underwater, but he had gotten better at figuring out what it meant.

He used the shadows the people cast to see what was happening. The room was about the size of a convenience store. It was a cashier, a child, a man, a teenage girl, and a large man with a small gun.

Nico wasn't worried about anyone but the teenager. They had a tendency to rebel. And rebelling against a person with a gun usually didn't work out in their favors.

He shadow traveled to the corner of the room. It was brightly lit, smelled like cigarettes, and was filled with candy, chips, and booze.

He directed his attention to the man in black in the center.

The man brandished the gun, which was pointed at a pretty, shiny haired girl.

Nico's insides froze. She was beautiful, and had a killer smile. That, and a killer title. Princess.

He scouted for the man and child, who were on the other side of the room. The kid was a kidnapping victim that was on the news, whose name he remembered was Teddy. That was one of Riptide's cases. The man holding his hand was Scar.

The little boy was tiny, chubby cheeked, and smiling at Princess, who was smiling back. He looked clueless and delighted as the lovely psycho killer smiled at him.

Nico's pulse found his throat. They were all staring at him.

It was a trap. Not for him, but for Riptide. But these were people he did _not_ want to see.

Luke smiled brightly, rippling the large white scar going from his eye to his jawline.

"Well this is unexpected! Ghost! What a pleasant surprise." He said, genuinely happy.

Nico thanked his mask for covering his face, so his emotions weren't so open, because he would be looking like he'd eaten a lemon at the moment.

"Prin, Luke, hey. Interesting situation we have here. Didn't expect you." He said softly.

Princess raised an eyebrow. Her masquerade mask covered most of her face, but it was lace covered in real crystal she'd stolen, so it didn't cover her expressions. Nico actually liked her suit. It was classy.

"And what why were you coming here, sweetheart? Planning on becoming the hero?" She asked, her blood red lipstick curving softly.

Nico laughed softly. "I'm no hero. You happened to interrupt my weekly candy raid. I'll need to find a new one because of you assholes." He said, hoping it sounded convincing.

Scar, who had been revealed as Luke Castellan to the public after a fight with Riptide, nodded.

"You from around here?" He asked.

Nico almost rolled his eyes. Like he would tell them anything. A psychopathic murderess and a power hungry monster. He didn't really mind their personalities, honestly, but it was their actions that he didn't like. Taking a random kid was just wrong.

"Nah. It has no security cameras, so I'm good to go when I do. Wouldn't want stealing to go on my record, now would I?" He said, and they grinned, all knowing that Nico's list was horrifyingly long and full of people who were extremely powerful.

For that reason, these two wouldn't try anything on him. Princess had a personal debt to repay, and Luke just wasn't strong enough. Also, Princess's power just didn't work on the mysterious man. Nico knew fully well why, but no one had figured out yet.

"Well, continue on with your quest for diabetes, we have an idiot to catch." Princess said.

Nico rolled his eyes. "And yet it's always he who outsmarts you in a fight." He said.

Luke grimaced. "Have you heard some of the things he says? I wouldn't call us the idiots."

Nico smiled. Riptide had absolutely no way with words. "True. Alright. I'll be going. Prin can you grab me that Twix, and those Junior Mints?" He asked and the girl nodded, handing the candies to him.

"Ghost, do you want to stay and help us out?" Luke said, and Nico's stomach felt like he chugged liquid nitrogen. It didn't seem loaded, but it was. An invitation to join Kronos was a big honor, and it was scary enough to make him freeze for a second. Kronos was the Hitler of the time, but instead of having thousands of minions, he had hundreds. All of whom were unfortunately powerful supers.

He shook his head. "I'm running errands for my father. It'd be an interesting fight, and I do need a good workout…" He pretended to think about it hoping to convince them he wasn't against Kronos. "But no. Sorry." Kronos was not someone Nico wanted to be facing.

Luke nodded. "If you want to practice some time I'd be up for it. I think I might be able to take you by now." He said with a grin.

Nico felt his eyebrows raise. "How do you plan to beat me with super speed, out of complete curiosity?"

Luke shrugged. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

Nico nodded, genuinely curious, before walking to the corner again. He paused.

"Hey, before I go. Can you not kill the kid?" He asked.

Scar looked at him with a hint of a smile. "You want him? Is this a favor?"

Nico almost choked. "NO! My god, you're awful. He's two! No way. I just feel like that age is too innocent to be used for this shit. Kid can't even read yet. Doesn't deserve it."

Princess looked at Luke, then back to Nico. "Ghostie, do you have a soft spot for kids? That's cute."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. This isn't a favor, by the way. It's a threat. Kill the kid and you go down the same way he does. You both know I can and will do it."

The two looked at him in shock. Ghost wasn't one for threats. That was actually the first one they had heard of from him.

"Alright, good luck. Bye kiddo." He said, and disappeared into the darkness with his stolen candy.

Nico was still fading when Riptide bust through the door, knocking Princess out immediately with a piece of the metal door he kicked down.

He almost felt like he should do something. He knew he should do something. He watched at the tiny boy screamed, his face morphed into a wailing mess with the sudden fear and chaos. Nico's mind flashed to his mom, to all of the young kids at each of his shelters, and the teary interview Teddy's mom had done on television. Before he could change his mind, he shadow traveled to Luke's side, grabbed the boy by his stomach and shadow traveled again. The shadows enveloped him, so cold they felt warm, and he let it embrace him like water. It felt like dropping in an underwater rollercoaster. He concentrated his thoughts. Police station. He had to the nearest police station. It was risky, but he knew Teddy would be safe. He ran in, Teddy screaming, and let the toddler go onto a bench. The two police officers in the lobby watched in stunned shock.

He nodded at them. "Make sure he's psychologically evaluated." He said, before taking a deep breath and traveling again.

Three hours later, having stopped six small robberies and a mugging, Nico had changed back into normal clothes and was about as much of a zombie as the guards as his dad's house.

He walked to the door of his room. Even from outside, he could hear laughter and chatting. He opened it quietly, hoping not to draw too much attention.

Lou Ellen, Will, the girl his father had pointed out to him as class president, Annabeth Chase, and a couple other kids were in his room.

Will smiled brightly at him, which was super confusing. No one had ever welcomed him like that. Did he want something? "You're back! Where did you even go?"

Nico shrugged. "I kind of just roamed around. New York is a large city." He said, stressing the accent again.

Will nodded. "Guys this is my roommate Nico. Nico this is Annabeth, Cecil, Katie and Leo, and you know this ho."

They waved respectively, including Lou.

They were all very different, but still held the same qualities Nico hated: bright and loud. They all seemed to like when he talked.

He flopped onto his bed. He needed to take a shower, but he couldn't because all of those people were in his room.

He turned on his headphones and tried to drown out the sound of the group laughing together in a circle on the other side of the room.

It made him feel lonely more than annoyed.

After about an hour of angry music, the people started to leave for curfew.

Will went with them, to Nico's delight. He could shower and be alone and everything was back to normal.

He sang in Italian softly to himself, a really angry song made sweet by a melody and a pretty language, as he got out of the shower after spending an absurd amount of time staring at the white tile blankly. He stared at his face in the fogged mirror. He needed to cut his hair, that much was certain, because he could see it touch his nose. He wasn't the kind of person that would be able to pull off a ponytail, plus his father would probably insist he get a buzz cut if he ever tried.

He sighed, watching the mirrors defog. He changed into his comfy pajamas while in the warm bathroom.

"Hey, Nico? You here?" Will called, and Nico could hear the door slam behind him.

"Yes." He said, before walking out fully dressed in a black shirt and plaid sweatpants.

Will gave a quick smile as Nico entered their room.

"SO! I thought we could get to know each other better, cause we're going to be living with each other and stuff. How about," He paused his exuberant idea before deciding "20 Questions!"

Nico looked at him sullenly, before shaking his head. "We have classes tomorrow, we should get to bed. Maybe another time."

Will nodded awkwardly. He sat down on his bed. "Okay. Just one. Where are you from? Your accent is really cool."

Nico gave a slight flicker of a smile. "I grew up in Venice, Italy."

Will beamed when he said Italy. "You say it like the pizza guy does!"

"Excuse me?" Nico asked, and Will blushed.

"You know. Ee-taly." Will said, gesturing with his hands. Nico stared at him, almost laughing, and Will blushed deeper.

"Goodnight, Will." He said softly, before turning off his light.


End file.
